ORANGE COUNTY BRIEFLY

Arizona Airways Suspends Its Tucson Flights From John Wayne

SANTA ANA — Arizona Airways has suspended its three daily flights from Orange County's John Wayne Airport to Tucson, Ariz., while it applies to restart service at the airport under new ownership and an altered name, officials said Friday.

The commuter airline stopped flying out of Orange County on Aug. 12 after its three aircraft were acquired by Great Lakes Aviation, a commuter airline that serves the Midwest as United Express.

Arizona Airways, which started its service to John Wayne in May, was having trouble making its aircraft payments, and the 19-passenger Beech turboprops were acquired by Great Lakes, said Great Lakes spokesman David Thomas in Bloomington, Minn.

The airline is flying under the new name Arizona Airways Express and is applying to return to service at John Wayne, he said.

Passengers scheduled to fly on the airline this week were booked on America West Airlines, which services Tucson with a stopover in Phoenix.